In a scenario that would have never been predicted back in July, Pedro Martinez returns to the Bronx on Thursday night, renewing a rivalry unlike any other If his time line serves us correctly, Pedro Martinez was sitting under a mango tree some 20 years ago, without 50 cents to pay for a bus.
Thursday night will showcase a much different scene, but at the same time, one that Martinez is highly familiar with.
Signing with Philadelphia in mid-July, Martinez didn't make his debut with the Phillies until Aug. 12. Some complained that it was Clemens-esque. Others called it genius.
But even the most optimistic bunch couldn't have predicted this.
After posting a 5-1 record with a 3.63 ERA in just nine regular season starts, Martinez will be given the ball in Game 2 of the World Series on Thursday night at Yankee Stadium. The call to the mound comes after a most impressive (and somewhat surprising) seven-inning gem in Game 2 of the NLCS in Los Angeles, back on Oct. 16.
Martinez had thrown only 87 pitches, allowing two hits, no walks, and striking out three in seven shutout innings before being kept on the bench to start the eighth. He left the 1-0 game in line for the win, but the Philadelphia bullpen blew it in the bottom of the eighth.
Phillies manager Charlie Manuel was criticized for going to his less-than-stellar bullpen instead of sticking with a well-rested, and seemingly untouchable Martinez. It marked Philadelphia's only loss of the NLCS.
But now, Manuel is going back to Martinez in Game 2 of the World Series, and in the process, is choosing to skip last year's World Series MVP, Cole Hamels, in order to do so.
Hamels hasn't been the same pitcher in 2009. He finished the regular season a game under .500, and has allowed 11 earned runs in 14.2 innings this postseason. Meanwhile, Martinez has spent the last two months making everyone in baseball reminisce about the good old days.
It's those "good old days" that make Thursday night's game in New York so very special.
Martinez' return to the Bronx has given baseball fans all over the world a chance to re-capture the career of a pitching legend. After four lackluster seasons with the New York Mets, Martinez' recent surge with the Phillies is Major League Baseball's version of a re-birth.
Game 2 against the Dodgers marked Martinez' first postseason appearance since Game 3 of the 2004 World Series with Boston. His seven shutout innings against the St. Louis Cardinals gave the Red Sox a 3-0 series lead, and proved to be his last start in a Boston uniform.
Martinez became a legend in that Boston uniform, stealing the stage on every Major League mound with the Red Sox from 1998 through 2004. But only one stage could ever challenge the buzz of a World Series game. Only one mound could cause 57,000 people to stand and yell
"WHO'S YOUR DADDY" at the top of their lungs.
It came with the territory. As a member of the Red Sox, Yankees fans hated Martinez' guts. But nobody embraced the rivalry like him.
In a 162-game season, some regular-season games can be overlooked because of prior commitments. When the schedule showed "Pedro vs. the Yankees" the only commitment was watching that game, whether it was in Boston or New York.
It was a must-see event, especially at Yankee Stadium. And now, he's back.
The last time Martinez started a postseason game in the Bronx was Game 2 of the 2004 ALCS. Martinez got the loss,
but he deserved better, allowing three earned runs in six innings. The Yankees took a 2-0 series lead with the 3-1 win, followed by a Game 3 beat down which gave New York a 3-0 series lead.
I think we all know how that played out.
Martinez got another opportunity, in that same series, to wash away those postseason demons at Yankee Stadium, but his Game 7 relief appearance wasn't anything to write home about, as he allowed two earned runs on three hits in the seventh inning.
It didn't affect Boston's eventual 10-3 win and series clincher, but it was just another moment in which Pedro brought drama to New York.
That drama will once again follow Martinez into Yankee Stadium on Thursday night, re-making history. Only this time, Grady Little won't be walking to that mound, and Martinez is no longer a member of the Red Sox. Sure, it's a new ballpark, but it's the same crowd. It's the same level of drama, on the same big stage.
And as Pedro already knows, there aren't any mango trees to hide under in the Bronx.
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